Rye’s City Council is moving forward with a plan to improve the city’s cell service.
At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Brian Shea received authorization to execute an agreement with CityScape Consultants to start creating a wireless telecommunications plan for the city.
The council approved a transfer of $36,000 from the city’s General Fund Contingency Account to cover the costs of Phase 1 of CityScape’s project, which includes preliminary research, infrastructure assessments, and the mapping of Rye’s current areas of need.
The first phase is expected to take three to four months. Subsequent tasks, if the city decides to proceed beyond Phase 1, include conceptual planning and the mapping of Rye’s future wireless network, public outreach and a community survey, followed by an engineering analysis and the creation of a technical report.
The entire project, if it’s seen through to completion, is estimated to take six to eight months, for a total cost of $74,525.
CityScape is a Florida-based firm that specializes in assisting local municipalities with the planning, regulation, and assessment of wireless communication infrastructure. The firm has helped several New York communities, including Somers, New Castle, and East Hampton, develop plans to optimize cell coverage while minimizing visual and aesthetic impacts on the community.
In May, Rye’s City Council announced it was exploring options to improve cellphone service, following more than a decade of frequently dropped calls, unreliable internet coverage, and blackout areas throughout the city.
Past attempts to improve cell service in Rye have ended in disappointment and, often, lawsuits. But the city’s connectivity issues have expanded beyond mere inconvenience, presenting a public safety risk to residents.
“Rye’s coverage is so thin in certain spots that when you call 911 from those parts of town, the call would likely be answered by dispatchers on Long Island, who can’t dispatch to our local response teams,” Councilmember Amy Kesavan told The Record in May.
According to the “scope of work” summary, CityScape will begin with a physical assessment of all existing wireless facilities in Rye, including a surrounding one-mile buffer. Following this assessment, inventory mapping and radio frequency (RF) propagation mapping will be performed based on the evaluated sites. This analysis will establish a baseline understanding of historical wireless infrastructure deployment across the city.
CityScape will develop detailed visual maps identifying areas that are currently underserved or deficient in wireless coverage. Planning scenarios will be prepared to illustrate potential future infrastructure locations and design criteria intended to guide wireless deployment. A public survey will be conducted to gather community input regarding acceptable and preferred approaches for potential future wireless development.
The planning scenarios and public feedback will support strategic planning efforts aimed at addressing existing coverage gaps for improving overall wireless connectivity. Additionally, an update to the existing wireless ordinance is recommended to establish policies and development standards identified through this process.
After the completion of Phase 1, which includes the first three steps of a six-step process, the city can determine how and when it advances onto steps four through six.
An optional seventh task would include a review and update of Rye’s wireless telecommunications facilities code, bringing the city into compliance with applicable federal and state mandates and regulations. That task would add an estimated $13,125 to the total cost of the project.
“Each subsequent task will be performed only upon authorization from the City, allowing you to determine how you would like to proceed as the project progresses,” wrote CityScape Vice President/General Manager Elizabeth Herington-Smith in a June 26 email to city officials.
